Quality Care for Little Smiles
At Gallery Park Pediatric Dentistry, we specialize in restoring the health, function, and beauty of your child's smile.
Our restorative care services are tailored to address a wide range of pediatric dental concerns, ensuring that your child can smile confidently, no matter their dental situation.
Restorative Dentistry Built Around Your Child
There is no single treatment plan that fits every child.
We follow evidence-based pediatric dental guidelines while looking at the whole picture: your child’s oral health, development, cavity risk, comfort level, and the realities of your family. We’ll explain what we see, why treatment may be needed, and the options available so you can feel comfortable making decisions about your child’s care.
And once treatment is complete, our focus turns right back to prevention.
Because repairing a tooth matters—but helping your child build habits that reduce the chance of needing more dental treatment in the future matters just as much.
Understanding Pediatric Restorative Dentistry
Pediatric restorative dentistry focuses on diagnosing and treating issues that affect the health and functionality of children's teeth.
From simple fillings to more complex restorations, our team is committed to providing gentle, effective care that helps preserve your child's natural smile and maintain strong, healthy teeth.
Restoring Functionality for Growing Smiles
Whether it’s filling cavities or placing crowns, pediatric restorative dentistry aims to return full functionality to your child’s teeth. This allows them to chew, speak, and smile with confidence, knowing their teeth are healthy and strong.
Preserving Baby Teeth
Whenever possible, our goal is to preserve your child's natural baby teeth until they are ready to fall out. Through treatments like pulpotomies (baby root canals) and crowns, we can save teeth that might otherwise need to be extracted, supporting your child's oral development.
Gentle & Customized Care
Every child’s smile is unique, which is why we tailor our restorative treatments to meet their specific needs. From tooth-colored fillings to crowns, our gentle, kid-friendly approach ensures that their dental work looks and feels natural while keeping them as comfortable as possible.
Our Pediatric Restorative Treatments
When a child has a cavity, a broken tooth, or decay that has progressed beyond what preventive care alone can manage, restorative dentistry can help bring the tooth back to health and function.
At Gallery Park Pediatric Dentistry, we take a thoughtful, individualized approach to restorative dental care for children. Not every cavity needs the same treatment, and not every child needs the same experience. We look at your child’s age, cavity risk, the health of the tooth, how much tooth structure remains, and how long a baby tooth is expected to stay in place before recommending care.
Our goal is always to choose the most appropriate treatment while keeping your child comfortable, helping you understand your options, and preserving healthy tooth structure whenever possible.
Tooth-Colored Fillings for Kids
For small to moderate cavities, a tooth-colored dental filling may be used to repair the damaged area and restore the tooth’s shape and function.
These fillings are made from materials that closely match the natural color of the tooth, making them a common option for both baby and permanent teeth. After the decay is removed, the filling seals and rebuilds the area so your child can comfortably eat, speak, and use the tooth normally.
Whether a filling is the right choice depends on the size and location of the cavity, the condition of the remaining tooth, and your child’s individual needs. We’ll walk you through why we are recommending a filling and what you can expect from treatment.
Dental Crowns for Baby Teeth
Sometimes a cavity is too large for a filling to predictably restore the tooth. In those situations, a dental crown for a baby tooth may provide stronger, more complete protection.
A crown covers the tooth and restores its shape, strength, and function. Pediatric dental crowns are often considered for teeth with extensive decay, teeth that have had pulp treatment, or teeth that need more support than a filling can provide. Full-coverage crowns are an important treatment option for extensively damaged primary teeth and following certain nerve treatments.
The purpose of treating a baby tooth is not simply to make it look better. Baby teeth help children eat, speak, maintain space for permanent teeth, and support normal growth and development until they are naturally ready to fall out.
Pulpotomy for Kids
When a cavity becomes very deep, it can reach the soft tissue—or pulp—inside a baby tooth. If the pulp is still healthy enough to preserve, a pulpotomy or nerve treatment may be recommended.
During a nerve treatment, unhealthy nerve tissue inside the crown portion of the tooth is removed while healthy tissue in the roots is preserved. The tooth is then treated and restored, often with a full coverage restoration, so it can continue functioning until it is naturally replaced by the permanent tooth.
Esthetic Crowns for Front Baby Teeth
When one of your child’s front baby teeth has significant decay, damage, or loss of tooth structure, an esthetic crown may be an option for restoring the tooth.
A strip crown is a tooth-colored restoration that rebuilds the visible portion of a front tooth while maintaining a natural appearance. These restorations can be particularly helpful when a front baby tooth needs more coverage than a traditional filling can provide.
Because front teeth play an important role in appearance, speech, and function, our goal is to restore the tooth in a way that feels comfortable for your child and looks natural in their smile.
Pediatric Tooth Extractions
Whenever possible, we want to preserve a child’s natural tooth. There are times, however, when a baby tooth extraction may be the healthiest option.
An extraction or tooth removal may be recommended when a tooth has extensive decay or infection, cannot be predictably restored, has been significantly damaged by trauma, or needs to be removed for another dental or developmental reason. Before recommending an extraction, we consider the health and value of the tooth, how long it would normally remain in the mouth, and whether another treatment could reasonably preserve it.
If your child does need a tooth removed, we take the time to explain the process in an age-appropriate way and tailor the experience to their comfort level. We also discuss whether anything else—such as monitoring the space left behind—may be needed as your child continues to grow.
Meet Your Provider
Meet Dr. Lynna Gripentrog, DMD
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Dr. Lynna Gripentrog completed her undergraduate education at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL with a major in psychology and minor in chemistry.
She went on to earn a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in Alton, Illinois. She continued her education by completing a two year hospital based, pediatric dental residency at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
There, she received specialized pediatric dental clinical training in:
- Behavior management using non-pharmacological and pharmacological techniques to manage the apprehensive patient
- Comprehensive dental care using general anesthesia
- Comprehensive dental care for special needs patients
- Comprehensive dental care for medically compromised patients
- Comprehensive care for patients on the Craniofacial Team
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Dr. Lynna is committed to providing excellent care to her patients.
She is an attending in the department of dentistry at Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, where she also holds medical staff privileges. She is the clinical director at the Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's outpatient center in Northbrook, IL.
Dr. Lynna is a member of:
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD)
- American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD)
- Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentists (ISPD)
OUTSIDE THE OFFICE
Dr. Lynna was born and raised in Northbrook, IL and now lives in Deerfield, IL with her husband and three daughters. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, trying new recipes, staying active and spending time with family.
Special Care For Children
With Special Needs
Our team is highly trained and experienced in treating a wide range of patients, from children to adults and the elderly, who require specialized care. We understand that every patient is unique, and we strive to create a comfortable and supportive environment for everyone.
Dr. Lynna Gripentrog brings specialized expertise in treating patients with complex medical needs, gained through rigorous training and ongoing roles as an attending at Ann & Robert H Lurie's Children Hospital.
We partner with board-certified anesthesiologists for deeper sedation and general anesthesia, ensuring the highest level of safety and comfort.
At Gallery Park Dental, we're dedicated to ensuring that all children receive the personalized, compassionate care they deserve, no matter their medical or dental needs.